Veteran actor Yoon Kyung Ho became emotional while reflecting on the woman who stood by his side throughout his years as a struggling actor.

Appearing on tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, the Agent Kim Reactivated actor tearfully recalled a Christmas memory with his wife that still moves him to this day a moment when her greatest wish was simply to eat two cups of instant jjajang noodles.

Yoon Kyung Ho shared the story of his wife, Kim Hae Jung, whom he dated for nine years before the couple married in 2012. Including their years of dating, the pair have now been together for 21 years. As he thanked his wife for staying beside him through countless hardships, Yoon struggled to hold back tears throughout the interview.

Host Yoo Jae Suk even joked that Yoon Kyung Ho might be one of the guests who had cried the most on the show, as the actor repeatedly became overwhelmed with emotion while talking about his family.

During their dating years, the couple often faced financial hardship. Yoon Kyung Ho revealed that one Christmas, he had only 20,000 won (about US$15) to his name and had even failed to find temporary construction work.

After leaving a theater performance together, his wife quietly told him she had always had one small wish to eat two cups of jjajang-flavored instant noodles from a convenience store. Watching her silently enjoy such a simple meal among the other customers became a life-changing moment for him. Seeing her eat those cup noodles, he said, made him promise himself that he would spend the rest of his life protecting her. The memory remains one of the most unforgettable moments of their relationship.

Yoon Kyung Ho spent many years working as an unknown actor before finally gaining widespread recognition. His breakthrough came with the hit drama Goblin, where he played Kim Woo Sik, a loyal soldier serving Kim Shin. Since then, he has steadily built a successful career through numerous television dramas and films, becoming one of Korea’s most recognizable supporting actors.

Yoon Kyung Ho and Kim Hae Jung, who is also a former theater actress, have one son and one daughter. The actor also recalled that during their newlywed years, they lived in a small commercial-residential building that was unbearably hot in summer and freezing during winter.

More recently, Yoon Kyung Ho made headlines with a humorous pledge tied to SBS drama Agent Kim Reactivated. After promising to remain completely silent for 13 hours if the drama reached a 13% viewership rating, he attempted the unusual challenge. The number 13 was chosen to commemorate So Ji Sub’s return to SBS after 13 years. However, Yoon Kyung Ho couldn’t keep the vow for long, eventually speaking during a live radio appearance and making listeners laugh.

Although Yoon Kyung Ho now enjoys a successful acting career, he says the memory that stays with him most isn’t standing on a glamorous stage or starring in hit dramas. Instead, it’s the image of his wife quietly eating two cups of instant noodles during the difficult years they endured together a reminder of the unwavering support that helped him achieve his dreams.

Sources: Daum | 그 시절 우리의 영화